We have more than a bunch of military vehicles for work/marketing/play but being that I served for almost 15 years, I never really got into the fun of it. I ended up trading one of the rifles we build for the M151. The plan was to put some lipstick on it and play with it. Well, the more I was diving into it, the more I read (about 60 hours of reading posts back a few years on this forum in particular) and now I'm hooked. After being motivated by some of the projects on here, and the new intrest I've found in learning about every square inch of this awesome little machine, I've decided to do a 100% every single bolt and nut off factory accurate restoration on her. (My back and checkbook will be hating you all shortly!)
After lots of research and the much appreciated assistance of "MuttGuru" I figured out that what I have exactly is a 1969 Ford M151A1 Uncut and pretty complete. (not in the pic maybe, but I have 3 or 4 pallets of parts sitting off to the side) After pulling the motor and cleaning off the dataplate looks like I have the original motor as well. It was one of the last Ford's built on the 68 contract before switching to the A2's. Being that it was on Nellis AFB out west, the body is in great shape as far as rot/rust goes. The floor is perfect, almost no rust on it as all although the looks of the body is a little rough with dents, etc, its in great shape. Same with the tank, battery box, motor, etc.
I've been spending a day or two a week messing with it for now. I have the motor and tranny ripped out, dissasembled the motor and heading in for the front and rear ends next. I figure I'll work on the powertrain, front and rear ends, wheels, tires and some small body parts and get them all ready then work the body last. My mindset is if I spend the time and money to get all the components right, I won't short change the body and pay more attention to getting it perfect.
I'm sure I'll have a lot of questions along the way, and I'll try to throw some pic updates here as I make some progress. I appreciate all the knowledge you guys have shared on here, I've learned so much from reading back through the old posts.
Thanks for the help and congratulations on getting me hooked!
